A market gem by the seaside

There’s a fresh air blowing at Ruswarp Market and that’s not all down to its proximity to the sea. Everybody looked me in the eye, nodded or said “morning”. Markets aren’t always the friendliest of places but this one is a gem.

The auctioneers have a lot to do with atmosphere and on that front Ruswarp (pronounced Ruzup) has been blessed. Ian Halley does the selling of the cattle at the livestock market in this pretty village near Whitby. Robert Smith sells the sheep and calves and, having spent time as a lad at Christies, takes charge of the firm Richardson & Smith’s antique sales. James, the third partner, runs the property side of the business.

One thing that sets this market apart, Ian thinks, is the fact the stock sold is straight off the local farms. In recent years the quality of the cattle coming through the ring has improved beyond belief and Ruswarp now hosts what must be one of the biggest suckler sales in the country. They have four a year. The main October one when 1,000 cattle go under the hammer is held over two days.

“There was a time when the stock up in Northumberland was better than you’d get around here,” says Ian. “But now there’s nothing in it. The quality is amazing and the distance the buyers travel – from all over the north of England – reflects that.”

While the store side is thriving, fatstock sales have been hit by the closure of three local slaughterhouses, although a loyal band of butchers turns out to support them. Quality animals apart, Ian says, “Even if we had nothing to sell people would still come to sit in the tea hut and put the world to rights. The farmers are the absolute salt of the earth. They’ll moan to us but underneath they’ve hearts of gold.”

Some of the moaning, about paperwork or the latest legislation, gets directed into the market office where, Ian says, “The missus is supposed to work part-time but still often ends up doing a 45-hour week”

When Odeyne Halley met Ian at a young farmers’ dance in Whitby she worked in a bank and had nothing to do with farming. “To say it was a shock is an understatement,” remembers Odeyne.

All the office girls are well-liked, but many customers have a fondness for Daphne who has worked at here for 27 years and describes Ian “as coming on nicely” in his father’s footsteps.

One of the market’s characters is Tony Harland, known throughout Yorkshire as “Marrar” which, he explains, means friend. His lorry is emblazoned with “It’s Marrar!” and he was named Yorkshire Farming Personality of the Year to acknowledge his charity fundraising, £66,500 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance courtesy of his annual shed warming party. Marrar knows more than a little about about horses too – he bred the Grand National winner Mr Frisk.

There was a surprise party for him at the market when he was 65 – how many would do that?

Haulier John Pennock, from Flixton, has been delivering stock for 51 years and rattles off a list of about 26 markets that are now closed. Ruswarp has always been a favourite.“It has that bit of atmosphere that so many have lost,” he says. Ronnie Stainthorpe has about 600 head of cattle at Lythe and a contract to supply Waitrose. But he’s also a huge supporter of this market.

Ronnie’s nephew Gavin Stainthorpe managed Sneaton Castle Farm for the nuns who own the land and was devastated when they decided they didn’t want to keep it in-hand any longer.

He was all set to start looking for another job when the sisters offered him the tenancy.

Anne Wheeler is helped in the wooden tea hut by her mum, Dorothy Calderly, and Grace Foster.

In every market feature so far the best-seller on the menu has been steak pie. Here it’s game pie. She also sells an awful lot of cream cakes.

At all other markets traditional sponges and fruit crumbles have been the pudding of choice.

Maybe it’s those cream cakes that keep them all so sweet up here?

The story of the mart at ‘Ruzup’

It was founded in 1887 by current partner Robert Smith’s great great grandfather. Robert’s partners are his cousin James Smith, himself a great great grandson of one of the original partners, and Ian Halley, son of 83 year-old Ken Halley.

Ken must be one of the oldest auctioneers still selling.

Ruswarp Livestock Market, Ruswarp, near Whitby. 01947 602298 www.richardsonandsmith.co.uk

Weekly store market on Wednesdays and fat sheep every Monday and fat cattle fortnightly on a Monday.